Natural Harm |
February 6th, 2013 |
morality |
B: What do you think of diseases that kill small children?
A: They're horrible and we must eliminate them.
B: The children?
A: The diseases!
B: Sorry! What do you think of embryos that die between conception and birth? [1]
A: Because of abortions?
B: No, because they just die on their own.
A: Natural embryo loss and miscarrages? They're just things that happen. It can be very sad for the parents, but it's not a moral issue like abortion.
B: What about animal suffering?
A: Animal suffering counts just like human suffering, and we should minimize it. Factoring farming is horrible. If you keep a cat you shouldn't let it outside because cats kill birds. Consider giving up meat.
B: What about suffering of animals in nature? [2]
A: Again, that's just something that happens. It's not a moral issue.
Update 2013-02-08: I agree with B.
[1] The Scourge: Moral
Implications of Natural Embryo Loss (Toby Ord, 2008)
[2] The Importance of Wild-Animal Suffering (Brian Tomasik, 2009)
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